Mailbag Question

“This (Tokoto’s commitment to UNC) should help UK even more for Shabazz Muhammad, don’t you think?” (via twitter) -Patrick (Mt. Washington, Kentucky)

Initially, I would say yes since both Tokoto and Muhammad play the wing and are very similar players between their great athleticism and excellent play in transition. However, I do have Muhammad ranked 30 spots ahead of Tokoto so while they do have similar styles I think Shabazz is an elite player who could start over J.P. for any collegiate program in the country. This isn’t a knock on Tokoto, but Muhammad simply is an unstoppable scorer inside the arc whether it be inside in the paint or in the mid-range game. Muhammad’s defense also has the potential to be very good which really makes him one of the top players in the class of 2012. In my opinion, I think UK is the favorite for Muhammad because of a few reasons: Calipari is the best recruiter in the country and seems to get whoever he wants, Muhammad tweeted about his visit very positively, and Muhammad fits into UK’s style of play better than anyone else’s but I wouldn’t be surprised if Duke was able to sneak in to get him, although they will be loaded with wing players by the time he gets there between Alex Murphy, Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins, and Michael Gbinije. However, Muhammad still has a lot of time to make his decision so some other schools could increase Muhammad’s interest in them but he will heavily help whoever he plays for from day one and that’s for sure.